Process of producing coke



Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,864

w. E. TREN?n PROCESS QF PRODUCING COKE .Filed Febzl [i920 l ZAQQM',

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of which the following is a specification.

Patented Der( nutren Lerares cierren WALTER TRENT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMEBA, ASSIGNOR TG 'BRENT PROCESS CORPORATION, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F v@OLUME32d, A CORPORA- ILJION OF DELAWARE.

recense or rnonncine conn. i

Application filed February 21, 19550. Serialjo.-.5i60,1.1.f51.

To all whom, .it .may conce/rn.'

Be it knownjthat ll, WALTER E. TRENT, citizen of the United States, residingy at vYl/asliington, in theDis'trict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful llinprovements in Processes of Producing Coke,

This invention relates to a 4process of treating materials to distill thevol'atile content therefrom and forni mass deposits of the residue.

.lt is an object of the invention'to provide a process of producing coke from comminuted coal. While the vprocessisprimarily intended for distilling and treating comminuted coal, it is likewise applicable to'other substances and contemplates the treatment of crude oils or fuel, wherein the volatile constituents are distilled and the carbon col-V lected in a coherent mass.

ltis a further object of the invention to provide a process of producing coke froml divided particles of coal, by first distilling the volatile products from said particles, and then depositing the resulting.non-gase ous material in a hot and Viscous condition upon a collectingv surface to which the particles adhere and continuel toacoumulatey products.

In the accompanying drawings l haveand'adhere to each other producing coke.

ln carrying out the'invention the com minuted coal is introduced under velocity to a treatment chamber maintained at a temperature suilicient to bring about combustion of some of the distilled gases of thecoal `when Supplied with the required air, thereby producing the necessary heat and tcmperature properly to distill'the volatile cony tent from the coal particles on entering the treatment chamber. When commin'uted coal is subjected to distillation, towards' the end of the heat treatment, when all, or near' ly all of its volatile content has been ex-V pelled, the vnon-gaseous residue becomesv sticky and viscous for a short period rendering it capcable of adhering to a'surface whenl projected against the same in this condition.

If this stage has not been reached before the particles come in contact with the collecting surface they will adhere to they viscous surface already formed and shortly thereafter become viscous themselves, the entire mass gradually becoming cokein a solid state.

The density or compactness ofthe 'solid coke depends in partupon the velocityunderfwhich the particles are projected against the collecting surface, the greater the velocity, other conditions being equal, the vmore dense will be themass of coke.

The invention, therefore,notvonly contemplates malring mass coke from carbonaceous l particles,but making cokes of different densities' :according v to 'varying requirements.'

As thecomminuted coal is `introduced tov Y the treatment-chamber the volatile products are rapidly distilled and the carbon particles accumulate upon the surface of the chamber aggloineratingor building up in layers because of the sticky condition of theA particles, the distilled products being discharged and collected. d

ln the present process the comininuted coal or material to be coked may be fed dry, or mixed with a liquid. ,The coal whether fed in a dry state or suspended in oil or other liquid may be entrained and intro- 'duced to the treatment chamber with the air disclosed asingle form of apparatus forperforming the process, but it willI of course'be understood that many different forms of ap-- paratus can be employed vand thepreseiit construction is merely for the purpose of illustrating a convenient means of carrying into operation the process'herein described.l

In the drawings, l

Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of one form of apparatus, and Figures 2 and 3 are detail views of parts of the apparatus.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts, the numeral 1 designates a treatment chamber, having a shiftable intermediate portion 2 vwhich is disclosed as being of-'a cylindrical forma;

tion, and may be composed "of any desired material. This portion of the chamber is pivoted at the point 2 to a relatively thick end portion?) supported in any approved manner and' having. afcentral opening 4 therein for the -freceptionvof the 'feeding tube 5, of a material feeding member 5 protained in a horizontalposition by means of the keeper 8, In ovably attached to the stationary end 9 of the chamber-whereby a movement of this element will' permit theshiftable portion '2 of the chamber to drop to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1.

*'.The edges of the walls of the stationary end 9.ofv the treatment chamber terminate in the arc of a circle as shown in the draw- I ings. The shiftable portion 2 of the' cham-v ber normally lies between the fixed ends 3 and 9and is fashioned at one end .t0 present a curved edgel corresponding with the curved edge of the side Walls of the member 9. This construction enablesthe shiftable portion 1 to freely move to the dotted line position Without disturbing either of the` ends 3 and 9. The end 9 has thereinr a gas discharge outlet 10 controlled by the manu! ally operated valve 11. This stationary end portion of thetreatment chamber is also formed with a fuel feeding opening receiv-A ing a fuel feed pipe 1Q leading from a source of gasoline or other fuel supply. There is alsovdisposed adjacent the fuel opening a spark plug 13 in circuit With an electrical supply 15 for the purpose of igniting the fuel introduced to the treatment chamber when the temperature therein is to be raised to the proper degree for distilling volatile products from materials introduced thereto, and to ignite some of the distilled gases When removed from said products.A

The materials introduced to the treatment chamber contain a volatile content which materials may be coal, oil, -or the like, and it is an object of the process to treat the materials introduced to the treatment chamber by distilling the volatile content therefrom and in depositing the residue upon the walls of the portion 2 of the container, complish this the material is preferably introduced to the container under velocity, being discharged through the peripheral orifices in the head of the feed member 5 toward the circular Wall of the container portion 2, undergoing a heat treatment for'thedistillation of the volatile products, the heat treatment also placing the residue in `a sticky or viscous condition, so that When projected against the surface of the portion 2 of the container the particles of residue adhere to the surface and to each other, building up an agglomerated mass.

The invention is particularly applicable to the treatment ofcomminuted coal to distill the volatile substances therefrom and to forni cokefrom the carbon residue. If coal To acor` other comminuted material is to be in-- troduced to the treatment chamber,a supply thcreof is placed within the feed hopper 13', being fed therefrom in regulatedquan- 3 tities lby means of the screvvv feed conveyor 14 operated by a belt and pulley drive 15.- Tlie fuel fed by the screw conveyor directly enters a feeding conduit 16, connected at one end with a blower or fan 17 ,"while the oppoing a portion of the tube 5- and carrying a threadedmember 16 threaded upon the endv of the feed conduit 16 and receiving a suit-v able packing 17 interposed between the edge of the feed conduit and the member 16.

'This manifestly enablesthe tube of the feed member 5 to telescope Within the feed conduit 16 Without the possibility of an escape 0f the material being introduced to the treatment chamber. v

The conduit 16 ispreferably provided with a venturi 17 near one end adjacent the air pump, the fuel being introduced'to the conduit from the hopper 13 vat the point 18 to be entrained or picked up by the air current passing from the fan 17 and carried through the feed member 5, discharging outwardly through the peripheral feed openings 7 in the head of said member toward the side Walls of the treatment chamber. The material being introduced to the treatment chamber, may be conveyed thereto in the air ystream in a dry comminuted form or may be introduced to the air stream While suspended in a liquid oil.I Water or the like, as may be found desirable. In order to control 4the quantity of air introduced to the chamber With fuel, regulating valve 18 is disposed within the air supply pipe of the blower.

A. Water'or feed pipe 18n for other substances communicates with the feed conduit 16 and is controlled by a suitable hand operated valve.

When comminuted coal or other materials having a volatile content is to be treated to distill th'e'volatile substances therefrom and form a massl of the residue, the fan or -pump 17 is placed in operation, and the maat this time been raised by the burning of llO gasoline or the like to a point where the volatile content ofthe aterial will be distilled-therefrom, and a portion of these distilled gases ignited-to maintain the teinperzw .ture of thev treating chamber at a point sufficiently high to support combustion. The incoming material is directed toward the side walls of the treatment chamber, and undergoes a heat treatment, which treatiiicut robs the material of its volatile content` :ind if powdered coal is being fed, the carbon -particles are rendered, when subjected to` `i the heat, sticky and viscous being projected upon the surface of the container `2, adhering thereto and to each other building up a mass of coke.

dition when the same come in contact with. the collecting surface, such particles will adherev to the viscous surface previously formed, and the'continued heat treatment Will soon thereafter render such particles vviscous themselves, the entire mass soon hardening andjbecoming coke in a solid state. material of course continuously passA out through the discharge conduit l0 controlled' by the valve l1 to a gas receiver and by- Y product recovery plant.

It` is. preferable to rotate the fuel feeding member 5 yduring the introduction of inaterial to the treatment chamber, and it'niay f the feed member 5 during the'introduction il il of material to the treatment chamber, it being understood that the keeper 21 may be drawn to the dotted line position so as to have no effect upon the nut 2 if this is desired. 'llo rotate the feed member 5 a drive pulley 22v is employed, the saine having a lateral keyway 23 therein receiving a key 24 on the tube of the feed member so as to permit a sliding movement of the feed member relative to the pulley 22, but allow no relative rotary movement between said inembers. The pulley 22 is disposed between suitable bearings so as toalways maintain the 'position disclosed'in Figure l, and it will be manifest that a rotation of this pulley causes a rotation lofthe feed member 5', and the threaded'rod 19, so that if the keeper 2l is in engagement with the nut, the threaded connection between said nut If the carbon particles have notreached the sticky orl viscous con- The volatile gases distilled from the and rod cause 'a sliding movement of the feed member 5. i suitable reversing mechanism is interposed between the driving belt 2C and the source of power, so that when the feed member 5 has .been moved the full length of the treatment'chamber, the direction of rotatior of the pulley 22 is reversed so that said feed member then moves in an opposite direction to the other end ofthe treatment chamber. It will be appreciated that by rotating the feed member 5', the-material being fed therethrough under velocity is subjected' to centrifugalv action which assists in projecting the par ticles toward the-collecting surface 2 with such force as to cause them to adhere to said surface and to each other on the surface.

In practicing the invention, materials are introduced through the fuel feeding member 5 when the temperature of the treatment chamber has been raised to a point sufficient to bring about combustion, the volatile constituents of the materials being distilled therefrom, and passingout through the feed pipe 10 while the carbon vresidue adheres and builds up in mass form, as disclosed in Figure l of the drawing upon the' inner surface of the portion 2 of the treatment.

chamber, becoming solid and forming mass coke. vThe introduction of material is cont'inued until amass of suiiicient thickness has 'beeirformed upon the collecting surface of the treatment chamber, whereupon the supply of material to the chamber is discontinued, and the feeding member 5 is moved to a position adjacent to the end 3.

To discharge the mass of coke, the keeper- 8 is turned to allow the shiftable portion 2 of the treatment chamber to occupy the position shown in dotted lines. f A suitable gear operated ram 26 is then reciprocated by means o f the.; gear and rack operating devices 27 and 28, the ram engaging the'mass of coke and'foicing the same from the container portion 2. After a mass has been thus removed the ram is-raised and the portion 2 of the container is elevated to, and

tion hereinbefore described repeated.

Having thus described the invention, what lt claim is:

l. A process ofv producing coke from comminu'ted'coal, which consists in subjecting fine particles 'of coal while in motion to a heat treatment suiiicient .to remove volatiles therefrom and place said particles in an adhesive condition, andin collecting the particles as an agglomerated mass upon a surface .against which they are projected while in an adhesive state: 1.

2. The process of producing coke from comminuted coal, consisting in subjecting moving particles of coal. to a' heat treatment to distil the volatile constituents therefrom and to place said particles in an adhesive locked in its normal position and the opera- 2 consists in forcing comininuted particles of coal through alieating zone,v in distllling inA such ylone the volatile products from the comriiiuutcd particles and to place the same in an adhesive'conditionj and collecting said particles as an aggloinerated mass upon theV surface against which said particles are projected.

5. The process of producing coke from comininuted particles of coal which consists in introducing to a treating chamber coal particles in a line state of "division, in. subjecting said particles to' a heattreatment While in the chamber to distill' the 4volatile products therefrom, and in collecting the resulting carbonaceous residue in an adhesive condition upon the surface of said heating chamber against which the particles are projected'with suflicient force to adhere to 'the surfafe and' to each otli'er forming a coherent mass o-f coke.

G. The process ofproducing coke, consisti ing in projecting carbonaceous particles in a treatment chamber.` in subjecting said particles While moving to the action of heat to distill the volatile products therefrom,V said particles beingy collected on a surface against which they are projected with sufficient velocity to cause the heated particles to4 unite ing in introducing comminuted particles of coal to a treatment chamber to be carried therethrough in fluid'suspension, in subjecting the particles While suspended in the cur- Yrent to a heat treatment to distill the vola tile products therefrom, and in collecting said particles on a surface as a mass of coke where theyl are projected when in a viscous condition.

8. The'process ofrproducing coke, coiisisting'in'introducing to a treatment chamber rapid moving comminuted particles of coal, in subjecting the particles to a heat treatment to distill the volatile contents therefrom, and in collecting. said particles on a collecting vsurface Where said particles are projected when in a viscous condition with suiiicient force to unite to one anotherand form a coherent mass of coke.

9. The process of producing coke, consisting in subjecting moving particles of comminuted coal to a heat treatment to distill the volatile products therefrom, and to place such particles in a viscouscondition, and in then collecting said particles on a surface Where said particles are projected While in a viscous condition with sufficient v'elocitjT to form a coherent mass of coke.

10. The pro ess of producing coke, consisting in subjecting moving particles of lnew coal to a heat treat-ment to distill the volatiles therefrom and to place the residue In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WVALTER E. TRENT. 

